On Feb 9 2006, Yehia wrote:
> On May 17 2004, Hugh wrote:
> I am completly lost when it comes to
> "slope of a line." Can anybody
> help?

Draw two perpendular (x-
> y) axes in the middle of a sheet of paper. With a ruler draw few ( 3
> 0r 4) lines on the sheet of paper. Each line makes an angle with the
> positive x-axis. If this angle is between 0 and 90, the slope of the
> line is positive (+). If the angle is 90, the slope is undefined
> (infinite), and if the angle is between 90 and 180, the slope is
> negative.

Actuakky the slope of a line is the tangent of the
> angle the line makes with the positive x-axis.
I have discovered it makes more sense with the students if you refer to reading
the slope of a line just like reading a book. We normally read from left to
right. When looking at the graph of a line read the line from left to right.
If it is going uphill the line has a positive slope. If the line is going
downhill it has a negative slope. If the line is straight across is has a zero
slope and if the line is straight up and down it has no slope. I have found the
website regentsprep.org to be very and I do mean very useful for explaining
slope to Algebra students. I hope this helps. Sandra Mondy

This material is based upon work supported by the
National Science Foundation under Grant DUE-0226284.
Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations
expressed in this material are those of the author(s)
and do not necessarily reflect the views of the
National Science Foundation.